The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a heat shield for use with a radiant syngas cooler.
In general, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants are capable of generating energy from various hydrocarbon feedstock, such as coal, relatively cleanly and efficiently. IGCC technology may convert the hydrocarbon feedstock into a gas mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), i.e., syngas, by reaction with steam in a gasifier. These gases may be cleaned, processed, and utilized as fuel in a conventional combined cycle power plant. For example, the syngas may be fed into a combustor of a gas turbine of the IGCC power plant and ignited to power the gas turbine for use in the generation of electricity. Coal gasification processes may utilize compressed air or oxygen to react with the coal to form the CO and H2. These processes may take place at relatively high pressures and temperatures and may be more efficient at design point conditions. Cooling the hot syngas may be beneficial, for example, to aid in maintaining the stability of the syngas during transmission of the syngas from the gasifier to the gas turbine of the IGCC. However, heat exchangers exposed to the hot syngas may be damaged, and even destroyed due to exposure to the hot syngas.